Selective Sympathy

The horrors afflicting our brothers and sisters across the world, such as the Rohingya, the Syrians, the Yemenis, and others, are no secret to the users of social media. Although worthy coverage is not given on mainstream news channels or newspapers, through the viral nature of social media we have access to personal videos and first-hand accounts of the gruesome reality afflicting these people.

They are experiencing horrors that we could never imagine, yet their faith puts us to shame. Amidst the torture, the burning, the looting, the raping, and the mass murdering, they still cry ‘Allah, Allah!’ Though we may be miles apart in distance and experience, we are all united through the thread of imaan that connects us to all proclaimers of tawheed around the world. As we would defend our own life and honour, it is incumbent upon us to defend and assist all of these persecuted souls. Whether that help is in the form of money, aid, or duaas, we must do all we can.

And the very least of these is to create awareness amongst our circles. We cannot let the roar of distractions on social media stifle the sound of the cries coming from these lands.

The world must know that we will not be selective in our outrage and sympathy.

We will not update our statuses only when the mainstream media starts the trend.

We will not change our profile pictures dependent on the race/nationality of who is being afflicted.

We will not be embarrassed to speak out against tyranny wheresoever it may be perpetrated.

And we will never allow the place in our hearts that Allah has allocated for Muslim love, brotherhood and unity to be filled with harshness, apathy and indifference.